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Living Sacrifice

Words of Faith Final

Living Sacrifice
Words of Faith 11-4-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Romans 12
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your spiritual act of worship. [2] Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will.

We always must ask, "What is the therefore there for?" Chapter 12 of Romans is built upon the monumental truths revealed in chapters 1-11.
Therefore, since... God's wrath is being revealed against humanity-- God's judgments are righteous-- God is faithful, but all have sinned and fallen short-- Justification can only be by faith--
Death came through Adam but life through Christ-- We can become slaves to righteousness rather than slaves to sin-- the Law can only produce death but the Spirit brings life-- God is at work in all things and we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus who saves us-- God has chosen in His mercy to offer salvation first to the Jews then to the Gentiles-- God is at work even in Israel's unbelief-- God plans to save Israel after the number of the Gentiles is brought in... What shall we then do?
In view of God's mercy, in view of this remarkable plan of salvation offered to us by grace, we should do the only thing we can do in response, offer our whole self to God. Having been given back life, we should offer back every moment of every day to Him. We should offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We should dedicate the members of our body to serving Him-- our hands and feet, voices and tongues-- all to serve God alone.
How do we do that? We LIVE the sacrifice. With deliberation, we set out to no longer be conformed to the pattern of the world. If the world sets a particular pattern, it should be suspect. If the world suggests a particular path, it should be scrutinized. We must realize that the behaviors approved as "normal" by the world are likely to be abnormal in the Kingdom.
Likewise, the patterns of the Kingdom will be viewed as abnormal by the world. Young people who commit themselves to purity will be viewed as odd. Businesspeople who forgo profit for the sake of integrity will be called foolish. People who are more blessed by giving than accumulating will be a puzzlement to others. Parents who put their children ahead of career ambitions will be misunderstood. Those who pass by pagan religious observances in favor of a genuine walk with God will be considered peculiar.
How can we live in such a way? We will do so only when we are transformed by the renewing of the mind. As we spend time with God in His Word and in prayer, and as we fellowship with believers, we begin to be de-programmed from the ways of the world. We begin to realize the subtle way that the world has crept in and changed us. God will transform us into who we were intended to be. Then we will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Lord, I want only Your good, pleasing, and perfect will. I offer myself to You as a living sacrifice. I resolve to no longer be conformed to the world. Transform me by the renewing of my mind. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.